Supreme Court: Affordable Care Act Is Constitutional

This morning the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. The health insurance mandate, also known as "Obamacare" was found to be "permissible under Congress's taxing authority." The full ruling (PDF) is now available, and the court's opinion begins on page 7. Amy Howe from SCOTUSblog summarized the ruling thus: "The Affordable Care Act, including its individual mandate that virtually all Americans buy health insurance, is constitutional. There were not five votes to uphold it on the ground that Congress could use its power to regulate commerce between the states to require everyone to buy health insurance. However, five Justices agreed that the penalty that someone must pay if he refuses to buy insurance is a kind of tax that Congress can impose using its taxing power. That is all that matters. Because the mandate survives, the Court did not need to decide what other parts of the statute were constitutional, except for a provision that required states to comply with new eligibility requirements for Medicaid or risk losing their funding. On that question, the Court held that the provision is constitutional as long as states would only lose new funds if they didn't comply with the new requirements, rather than all of their funding." Further coverage is available from CNN, the NY Times, and Fox.

Comments

Excellent decision

[0123456]

Now just wait for the Republicans to get in and start 'taxing' you for not going to church and not believing in Creationism and not owning a gun.

No escape

[Kohath]

And, therefore, using the taxing power, the US government has nearly unlimited power to compel you to act against your own interests. There's no escape. The taxing power is absolute.

Re:First dissent

[BlueStrat]

Well, with Obamacare, NDAA, PATRIOT Act, DHS/TSA, etc etc etc now a fact, your first line about driving becomes:

Remember, in the New USA your continued existence as a non-imprisoned and still-living, breathing, human being is a Privilege, not a Right and can be revoked at any time without due process.

I weep for my country, for it is dead. We now have a "ruling regime", not a government of, by, and for the People. And because I know God is just, I also tremble in fear for my country.

Strat